Franklin Frake works for the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, a Philadelphia nonprofit that provides assistance to displaced pets, and their owners, during and after a disaster involving their home.
Beau Heyen has brought a fresh outlook on addressing hunger to the Kansas City Community Kitchen and the broader metropolitan area.
William Baker started as an intern at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and has been president since 1982. Recent findings indicate that bay cleanup processes are approximately halfway to their 2025 goal.
Rodney O鈥橬eill is carrying on a 40-plus-year tradition in Olympia, Wash., that was started by his mother. He, and more than 600 volunteers, also serve meals at Christmas and Easter.
Jes Ward is the executive director of cityWILD, which enables students in Denver to raft, backpack, mountain-bike, and snowshoe 鈥� while they also strive to reach their full potential.
In San Francisco, Laura Slattery and Tina Christopher open church doors to homeless people during the day. The women鈥檚 own lives have taken elaborate twists and turns.
Takehiko Yoshizawa鈥檚 Japan Car Sharing Association has aided residents since the 2011 tsunami. The effort expanded this year after twin earthquakes in southern Japan.
Haidar el Ali started out in his family鈥檚 furniture business but then dedicated his life to protecting the oceans and other habitats.
Laila Haidari founded a shelter in Kabul to help those struggling with addiction. Some 3,600 people, she says, have left the facility recovered.
Kathleen 鈥楥ass鈥� Cronan was a lawyer but found her work had limits. Now, as head of EarthLinks, she invites marginalized people to join a community that has an environmental focus.
Aabid Surti was irked when he saw water wasted by dripping taps. Now he鈥檚 visited 13,000 homes in the suburbs of Mumbai to fix leaks.
Anja Reefschl盲ger responded to an emergency call last year to help as refugees arrived in Berlin. Since then, she has become a second mother to many of them as they try to settle in.
Nadira Mingasson started the weaving enterprise Udru啪ene in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It鈥檚 given women participants a sense of community 鈥� and a source of income.
Carole Hyatt founded the nonprofit Mission: Getting to Next after meeting a retired female general who was struggling to find employment. To not allow such women to use their skills 鈥榠s a crime,鈥� she says.
With music, Timon Seibel gives the children a chance to express themselves and gain self-confidence. One heavy-metal band he manages recently won a grand prize in a contest.
Lonnie Bunch shares his love of history as the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens in Washington Sept. 24.
In Greece鈥檚 Peloponnesus, Panagiotis Tsagouris has involved schoolchildren in his effort to preserve the Tsakonian language, considered the only descendant of Doric Greek.
In 2000, Hannah Schwartz helped establish Heartbeet farm to offer care and opportunities for growth for adults with developmental disabilities.
The former governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee says it makes his day when somebody says, 鈥楴ow you got me doin鈥� it.鈥�
Eduardo 鈥楨ddie鈥� Canales tries to prevent the deaths of migrants passing through the sandy, scorching terrain of South Texas. He also works with families abroad who are searching for their loved ones.
When Babak Arzani fled Iran and reached Hungary in 2010, he found himself in a foreign land where he didn't speak the language. He helped found a group that supports the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers.
Sunanta 鈥楴ong鈥� Kaewmuangpech opened a children's shelter with no sponsors or resources whatsoever. Here鈥檚 how she did it.
Eileen Howard Boone is both a mother of six and an executive at CVS Health. Her work is indicative of how many businesses are putting more emphasis on philanthropy.
Jadav 鈥楳olai鈥� Payeng began planting seedlings in 1979, and the forest has grown so big that it has sheltered tigers and elephants.
Ra煤l C谩rdenas Osuna has dedicated his life to creating social change through community-driven art initiatives. His outlook helped transform Camino Verde into a neighborhood of hope and promise.
